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THE SEXUAL OFFENCES trial of Jeffrey Donaldson has heard a church pastor state an alleged victim told him she could not report abuse because it would “destroy” the former DUP leader’s “political reputation”.
The trial at Newry Crown Court also heard from the founders of a Christian centre who stated that Donaldson had said “sorry” to the alleged victim in their home in the 1990s, but added that no allegations had been mentioned during the meeting.
The former Lagan Valley MP (63) has pleaded not guilty to 18 alleged offences.
The charges include one count of rape and allegations of indecent assault and gross indecency, and span a time period between 1985 and 2008 involving two alleged victims.
Complainant A and B have both previously given evidence at the sexual offences trial.
Eleanor Donaldson (60) from Dublinhill Road, Dromore, Co Down, denies several charges of aiding and abetting her husband’s alleged offending.
She is facing a trial of the facts after Judge Paul Ramsey ruled her unfit to stand trial on mental health grounds.
The trial of the facts will test the evidence in the case, but cannot result in a criminal conviction. Eleanor Donaldson will not appear in court during the trial.
Today, the jury of five women and seven men heard evidence from Laura Claire Selfridge, who is the daughter of David and Linda Hoy, who founded the Christian Family Centre in Armoy, Co Antrim.
The court has previously heard evidence that Complainant B had stayed at the centre when she was a teenager after developing a problem with drugs.
Selfridge told the court she had a conversation with Complainant B in her bedroom in Armoy.
She told the court: “She literally just said she had been abused.”
Asked about the atmosphere, Selfridge said: “Very shocking, almost like a bomb went off, that is what it felt like for me.”
The witness added: “She was very troubled, I remember feeling my heart was very raw for her.”
The witness said they had never spoken again about the alleged abuse.
Asked if she had spoken to anyone else about the alleged abuse, she said: “Never, not to this day.”
Jeffrey Donaldson’s barrister Kieran Vaughan KC asked the witness if Complainant B had used the word “sexual” in relation to the alleged abuse.
She replied “No”.
The court was then played a police video interview from Pastor Stephen Matthews, who had met Complainant B at the Christian Family Centre in Co Antrim.
He is not well enough to give evidence to the trial.
In his police interview, he said Complainant B had been “emotionally distressed” when she spoke to him.
He said: “I spent time with her, I prayed with her.”
He said she had wanted to talk about something but told him: “I don’t want anybody to know this.”
He said: “I listened to her and she made very, very serious allegations.”
He added: “She looked like somebody that had come through the wars.”
Matthews said he then introduced her to David and Linda Hoy, because they could provide counselling.
The pastor said she told him she had been abused when “very young”.
He said he had asked her why she did not “come out with this and get help”.
He added: “She said she can’t because it would destroy their political reputation, I don’t want that.”
Matthews said he could not remember if B had named her alleged abuser but said it “became obvious” who it was.
He said: “I think that she had said he was rising through the ranks of the Official Unionist Party, he was from Kilkeel, he was assistant to a previous MP and was as such would be in line to become an MP.”
Asked by a police officer who he believed that to be, Matthews said: “There was only one person, that was Sir Jeffrey Donaldson.”
Hoy then gave evidence at the trial.
He told the jury he had received a phone call from Matthews in the 1990s stating there “had been an allegation”.
He added: “He said it was against Jeffrey Donaldson.”
The witness added: “I knew it was serious but I didn’t really know what the nature of the allegations was.”
Hoy said Complainant B was looking to meet Donaldson and “wanted a safe place to do that”.
The witness said he then arranged a meeting between himself and Donaldson at a hotel.
Hoy said he told Donaldson “there had been an allegation…and she wanted to meet him face to face”.
Asked about Donaldson’s response, he said: “It was positive, in fact it (the meeting) was arranged for the next day.”
The court was then told about a meeting between Donaldson, Complainant B and the Hoys in their home in Armoy the following day.
Hoy said: “Mr Donaldson spoke first, he said I know what this is about, he said I am sorry and can you please forgive me.”
The witness said that Complainant B was upset but she “did say she forgave him”.
Hoy said he asked B if she wanted to “take this any further and she said no”.
He said there had been no discussion at the meeting of what the allegations were. He added that it had been a brief meeting.
He also told the jury that he and his wife had subsequently seen Jeffrey and Eleanor Donaldson to provide counselling about “marital problems”.
Barrister for Jeffrey Donaldson Kieran Vaughan KC asked if allegations had been made at the meeting in the Hoys’ home.
Hoy said: “None.”
Vaughan suggested that Complainant B had said at the meeting that she had “not been comfortable at times in the relationship” with Donaldson.
He further suggested Donaldson had said “if that was the case he apologised”.
Hoy responded: “It could have been said but I don’t recall it.”
Linda Hoy then gave evidence about the same meeting.
She said: “Mr Donaldson said I know what this is about, I am truly sorry, please forgive me.”
She said Complainant B had responded “yes”.
The trial will resume on Monday.
Jeffrey Donaldson, a former long-standing MP for Lagan Valley, was arrested and charged at the end of March 2024.
He resigned as DUP leader and was suspended from the party after the allegations emerged.
Weeks before his arrest, he had led the DUP back into devolved government at Stormont after a two-year boycott of the power-sharing institutions.
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